April 18, 2022/Media, Press

ICYMI: Op-ed: On Tax Day, a Look At Who Really Wants to Raise Taxes on Working Families

On Tax Day, North Carolina parent Liz Beck is speaking out against the GOP plan to raise taxes on nearly 40 percent of North Carolinians and calling out the North Carolina Republican Senate field for prioritizing wealthy corporations and special interests over families like hers. 

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Indy Week: Op-Ed: On Tax Day, a Look At Who Really Wants to Raise Taxes on Working Families

By Liz Beck – April 18, 2022

  • North Carolinians across the state are feeling the squeeze of rising costs, my family included, but Democrats are working hard to lower costs, make necessities like health care more affordable, and build an economy that bolsters the middle class. On Tax Day this year, I can’t help but wonder why Republicans are calling inflation a ‘gold mine,’ voting against legislation to bring down insulin prices, and proposing tax plans to raise taxes on nearly 40 percent of North Carolinians.
  • Before the pandemic, my family was already going through challenging times. In late 2019, my husband left his HVAC job last year to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. He’s now working for a local police department, and we were living off just his income which is $15,000 less than what it was before. It’s been tough. After years of being a stay at home mom to my two boys, I recently took on a job at a warehouse in Raleigh to supplement our income.
  • I went hungry a lot as a kid, and it’s the last thing I want my children to face. That’s why I do everything I can to make sure we have enough to eat, even if it means putting off other expenses or eating less myself. Now, as families are recovering from the economic woes of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s deeply concerning that Republicans would have the heart to raise taxes on families like mine, who are just trying to make ends meet.
  • Increasing our tax burden would have a spiral effect on our life. My husband would have to pick up extra off-duty shifts and money would be tighter—threatening our ability to put food on the table or pay for my son’s ADHD medication. And I know my family’s story is similar to many families across North Carolina who are trying to do their best to provide for their kids and live a meaningful life.
  • Republicans like Ted Budd, Pat McCrory, and Mark Walker running for the U.S. Senate who would rather sell out families like mine to further their political career or appease the wealthy corporations and special interests that bankroll their campaigns have no place in Washington.
  • North Carolinians deserve leaders that are serious about tackling the most pressing issues that families are facing, not push the interests of the ultra-wealthy and big corporations that are getting rich by spiking costs on hard working Americans.
  • The choice could not be more clear. President Biden and Democrats are working to lower costs for families, including through efforts to lower premiums, cap insulin costs, send tax cuts to middle-class families, and lower prices at the pump, because they know that when families do well, we all thrive. Republican Senate candidates Congressman Ted Budd, Pat McCrory, and Mark Walker have failed to prove they’ll do the same.         
  • On Tax Day, North Carolina voters deserve to know that Republican leadership would raise their taxes next year.

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